7 ag stories you might have missed this week - Aug. 11, 2017

Need a quick look back at the news of the week? Here are 7 agricultural stories you might have missed.

1. USDA delivered a surprise Thursday when its crop report forecast the fall harvest will be larger-than-expected. Corn and soybean price plunged for the day. Farm Futures analyst Bryce Knorr said, "both yield and production totals were above the high end of trade guesses." – Farm Futures

2. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue visited the Georgetown Fair as part of his "Back to Our Roots" RV tour of the Midwest. He shared a meal with Georgetown Fair Board member Dennis Smith and they talked crops and crop insurance among other topics. – Prairie Farmer

3. A Dutch program aims to keep small farms in the hands of families by linking people with no contacts in the farming world to farmers looking to retire. The online service, called "Farmer Seeks Farmer," is likened to a dating site. – Phys.org

4. North Dakota farmer Scott Mund no longer suffers from "row rage," the condition that arises when running over some of your crop while spraying. Instead, he's installed John Deere's new AutoTrac Vision System and reduced stand loss to zero. – Dakota Farmer

5. Spring wheat harvest in the northern Plains is progressing slowly as fields are ripening at various times. Yields have ranged from 20 to 40 bushels per acre in North Dakota. – Farm Futures

6. As of late July, the Kansas Livestock Foundation has distributed $2.7 million in wildfire relief funds to 165 Kansas ranchers impacted by spring wildfires. Donations were received from 102 countries. – Kansas Farmer

7. The Soybean Transportation Coalition asked agricultural shippers to rate the Class I railroads on performance, cost and customer service. Ranking in the top three were Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation. – Farm Futures

Your bonus comes from Japan, where the average farmer is older than the average farmer in the United States.

The average farmer in Japan is 66 and the sector's contribution to the national economy has been shrinking since peaking in 1984. That may be changing as new farmers are entering the industry and combining technology and agriculture. – Reuters